Marlins protect pair of top prospects from Rule 5 Draft by adding them to 40-man roster
The Miami Marlins on Friday added two top prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from being selected in December’s Rule 5 Draft.
The duo: infielder Jose Devers and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion.
The additions were mostly expected and came with no consequence. The Marlins had two open slots on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding moves had to be made to add either prospect to the roster.
But with the additions, 13 of the Marlins’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline are now on their 40-man roster. Ten of those prospects made their MLB debuts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, one that saw the Marlins go 31-29 in the 60-game regular-season slate and reach the National League Division Series.
Both Devers and Encarnacion were part of the Marlins’ initial spring training in Jupiter and were on the team’s 60-man player pool once the season resumed following a three-plus month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were also on the Marlins’ extended taxi squad for the final road trip of the regular season and both rounds of the playoffs but did not see big-league action.
Devers, 20 years old and the Marlins’ No. 13 overall prospect, joined the organization as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade in December 2017. He hasn’t played above Class A Advanced, but he has shown above-average defensive skills and is possibly the club’s top pure hitting prospect. Devers, a left-handed-hitting middle infielder, has a career .278 batting average over 187 minor-league games and hit .325 in 33 games for Class A Advanced Jupiter during the first half of the 2019 season before being sidelined with a groin injury.
“Devers has the best bat-to-ball skills in the system and has had no difficulty making consistent contact against more experienced pitchers,” reads his MLB Pipeline scouting report. “Though the Marlins have had him focus on gaining strength, he’s still slender and has a flat left-handed swing, so he doesn’t drive the ball for much power and may have a ceiling of 10 homers per season. He has a disciplined approach and understands his offensive game is all about getting on base and taking advantage of his plus speed.
“Devers also shows advanced instincts at shortstop, where he has a quick first step and has improved his arm strength to solid since turning pro. He’s capable of playing all over the infield in a utility role should he not produce enough offense to claim an everyday job.”
Encarnacion, the Marlins’ 17th-ranked prospect who has been part of the Marlins’ organization for five season after signing as an international free agent in 2015, began turning heads in 2019 when he belted out 16 combined home runs between his time with Class A Clinton (Iowa) and Jupiter. He had 71 RBI, the most among any Marlins prospect in 2019, as well to go along with a .276/.331/.425 slash line.
“Encarnacion’s bat speed and the strength and leverage in his 6-foot-4 frame give him at least plus raw power to all fields, and he did a much better job of tapping into it in 2019,” reads his MLB Pipeline scouting report. “He made more consistent contact with his simple right-handed swing and turned on and lifted pitches more regularly. He also did a better job of dealing with breaking balls and improved his plate discipline, allowing him to make more consistent contact.
The next big date on the MLB offseason calendar: Dec. 2. That’s when teams have to tender contracts to players. The Marlins have eight players up for arbitration this winter: catcher Jorge Alfaro, first basemen Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper, third baseman Brian Anderson, and pitchers Jose Urena, Ryne Stanek, Richard Bleier and Yimi Garcia.
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